Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post

Gaz · 10-30-2009, 07:33 AM

It doesn't really matter which camera you use. They are all pretty much of a muchness.

In the end it comes down to feel. If you don't like the feel of the camera you won't use it. If you don't use it, a) you're skills won't improve and b) you'll only use it because you paid money for it, not because you want to play.

Perhaps what you need to do is find a friend/co-worker that has the camera you are interested in and see if you can borrow it for a day or so to get used to it and see if you like it. This is by far the best way to evaluate which camera is right for you. Perhaps you should go through the reviews and pick 2 or 3 that you want to try.

I'm a Canon user, so my recommendations would be either the EOS450D or the EOS500D as a starting point, obviously depending on how much you are looking to spend. the main difference between these two is tha 500D's capability of taking high def video (1080p) and a larger sensor 15megapixels compared to 12.

The Nikon is also an excellent camera (don't know the codes off hand, and I know people who swear by Olympus and Pentax, so it all comes down to personal choice) As far as the lens goes, the 18-55mm kit lens is useful, but you may want to consider getting a nice telephoto lens as well. The Sigma 70-300 or 50-200 are both versatile and will serve you well, even if you upgrade the body at a later date.

If you don't want to keep on changing the lens on the camera body, you may want to consider getting an 18-200mm lens instead of the 18-55mm one.

The other thing to remember is the extra items that often get overlooked. Definitely invest in a spare battery and a couple of spare memory cards. The last thing you want is to have the perfect shot lined up and have to purge your card or have your battery go flat.

10-30-2009, 07:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
Gaz Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 158	It doesn't really matter which camera you use. They are all pretty much of a muchness. In the end it comes down to feel. If you don't like the feel of the camera you won't use it. If you don't use it, a) you're skills won't improve and b) you'll only use it because you paid money for it, not because you want to play. Perhaps what you need to do is find a friend/co-worker that has the camera you are interested in and see if you can borrow it for a day or so to get used to it and see if you like it. This is by far the best way to evaluate which camera is right for you. Perhaps you should go through the reviews and pick 2 or 3 that you want to try. I'm a Canon user, so my recommendations would be either the EOS450D or the EOS500D as a starting point, obviously depending on how much you are looking to spend. the main difference between these two is tha 500D's capability of taking high def video (1080p) and a larger sensor 15megapixels compared to 12. The Nikon is also an excellent camera (don't know the codes off hand, and I know people who swear by Olympus and Pentax, so it all comes down to personal choice) As far as the lens goes, the 18-55mm kit lens is useful, but you may want to consider getting a nice telephoto lens as well. The Sigma 70-300 or 50-200 are both versatile and will serve you well, even if you upgrade the body at a later date. If you don't want to keep on changing the lens on the camera body, you may want to consider getting an 18-200mm lens instead of the 18-55mm one. The other thing to remember is the extra items that often get overlooked. Definitely invest in a spare battery and a couple of spare memory cards. The last thing you want is to have the perfect shot lined up and have to purge your card or have your battery go flat.